An email just passed to us. Given the school situation in the borough, this is something we should all get behind.
Dear parent,
Our children have a great start at local primary schools, but secondary provision isn’t as certain – particularly for boys, or girls who would prefer a mixed school. This is a real concern for families in Twickenham and the surrounding areas.
The strain on primary school capacity is already being felt and this will push its way into secondary provision. There are also proposed changes to the “linked schools” admissions arrangements which may also have an impact on the secondary transfer process. We believe that there is a need for more secondary places in the near future and the Free School legislation allows us to shape the decisions; so that local parents get the kind of school that they really want. We are a group of parents who have pooled our local knowledge and skills to create a free school proposal for a new secondary school. This new 11-18 secondary school would be for all of the children in our community, regardless of faith, ability or gender.
High Standards – our partnership with the Russell Education Trust
We want a secondary school that will deliver high academic standards and foster excellent behaviour and social responsibility in our children, so we are working in partnership with the Russell Education Trust (RET) to set up and run the school. RET set up the largest Free School to open in September 2011 and they are opening another 11-18 secondary school in Essex, in September 2012. The Trust is led and staffed by experienced headteachers, Ofsted inspectors and academic specialists; and they work in partnership with existing outstanding schools in London and the south of England. RET is working closely with us to turn our vision into reality.
Is this different to the proposed Catholic Secondary that we’ve seen in the Press?
Yes this is a different proposal. It will not be a faith-based school. But we completely understand the frustrations that many Catholic parents in Richmond (and neighbouring boroughs) feel about the lack of Catholic school places at secondary level. We are not opposing the Catholic school proposal, and it may be possible that both schools are approved. Both proposers are currently interested in the Clifden Road site, but that’s not to say that other sites may not be available; and we will explore all possibilities.
Now we need to prove that there is enough local demand for a new outstanding secondary school. If you have children (especially in years 3 to 5 as they could be our first year groups) please fill in the registration form on our website www.newlocalschool4twickenham.org.uk to show your interest. We need to know exactly how much support we have when we submit our proposal in February.
We’d also love to know what you think and you can get in touch or support the campaign by emailing us at info or ‘liking’ our Facebook page ‘New Local School for Twickenham’.
Thank you for your support,
New Local School for Twickenham Steering Group
